Gulf Harbour Trip Part 1

Well, we are home from our first trip up to Northland, and it was a great success. We went to stay with a woman named Jenny, who works with a colleague of my mom's, and who I connected with as a fellow educator. She invited us to stay with her for a couple days in Gulf Harbour, which was so generous, and ended up to be a wonderful catalyst for this trip.

Google maps says it should take about 6 hours to get to Gulf Harbour, which is just north of Auckland. However, that assumes that you drive the speed limit the whole way, which is fairly impossible, given the twists and turns in the roads. So it took us more like 7 and a half hours. But we didn't mind, because the landscape was stunning the whole way. I mostly just looked on the way there, but I took pictures on the way back, so I'll post them later.

When we got to Jenny's house, we chatted with her for a while, then she showed us some beaches around Gulf Harbour. Shakespear Regional Park is on the same little peninsula, and this is a picture looking down into it. It is a wildlife reserve, and very beautiful, with both forest and beaches.

Jenny made us a fantastic dinner that night, and then we relaxed, drink tea, and chatted all evening. It was both interesting, stimulating conversation and a comfortable, easy atmosphere, so it was perfect.

The next day, we headed north 20 minutes to Orewa, which is a charming little beach town with lots of shops. We wandered around the shops for a bit (looking for, but not finding, sunglasses), and then had a nice walk on the beach. Next, we went a little further north to Wenderholm Park, which is also a wildlife reserve, to do some hiking. There was a sign at the entrance that said, "Tangata Whenua (people of the land) acknowledge this place as the home of their tupuna (ancestors). They share this area with the plants and animals of the forest: the children of Tane Mahuta (god of the forest). Please treat this area with respect." Then, when we got to the part of the path that went into the deeper forest, there was a sign that said, "Save our Kauri Forests. They are dying from kauri dieback disease. It spreads by soil movement. Act now to help stop it." Hanging under the sign were scrub brushes and santizing spray, along with instruction on how to clean your shoes, and a warning to stay on the paths. I find both of these different causes (cultural and environmental) very important, and I hope that people take them both seriously.

With clean shoes and a respectful attitude, we headed into the forest.

After a surprisingly steep walk, we got to a look-out over the bay. Unfortunately, it was solid overcast (and occasionally raining), so you can't see how stunningly blue and clear the water was. But it was still beautiful.

Notice J's outback hat. It's not as cool as mine, but it is still pretty fabulous.

It is so interesting to see how the plants grow, die, and decompose in such a lush environment. Even though I probably would have wished for a sunnier day, the sound of the rain in the canopy was charming, and the wetness made it feel all the more like a rainforest.

After quite a long hike, which left us a bit worn out and definitely wet from the rain, we decided to embrace the rather damp day and head to the hot springs. On the way back to Jenny's, we stopped at Waiwera Hot Springs Resort. There is a natural hot spring there, but it has been built up as a warm water park. Apparently, there are germs in hot springs in NZ that can cause meningitis, so there are lots of regulations to do with them, and they can't be left natural. Anyway, Waiwera is a pretty cool place. There are lots of different pools, and the water for all of them comes from the hot spring.

Can you see the spiral water slides off to the left? Well, we went down them, and they were pretty exciting! 

Waiwera, as well as Gulf Harbour, is on the Hibiscus Coast, so it is fitting that there were beautiful hibiscus plants all over the resort. I just love them!

This was the first place we headed when we got to the resort, and it made us laugh a bit. In case you can't see it, it says, "Lava Pool: 48C (118F), Sapphire Pool: 0C (32F)." After a moment, I realized that the "3" must have fallen off the Sapphire Pool's number, and was relieved. I said so to J, and didn't notice that he didn't hear me. So then when I asked if he wanted to try the Sapphire Pool, I was rewarded by one of the most incredulous looks I have ever received, which is saying something. As it turns out, the Lava Pool is the one that comes straight from the hot springs, and then flows into the Sapphire Pool, which is quite a nice temperature. Despite what it looks like, the pools don't really feel like they're inside, because it's just a partial shade roof above them.

The resort was very crowded, which wasn't a huge problem, but it did make us inclined to look for more private space. We decided to try out the spa, and then ended up spending the rest of the day there. We got our own, private jacuzzi/spa room, which was wonderful. Although we appreciated the jacuzzi, I think our favourite thing was the shower, because we needed it to cool down between activities - namely the dry sauna and the steam room.

Have you ever been in a steam room? I had never done it, and it was such a cool experience! It is a million percent humidity in there, which more steam puffing in all the time, and the smell of eucalyptus. Neither J nor I could breathe at first, because the water and heat made us cough. Once we got sat down, it was okay, because our bodies cooled the water that touched them. However, moving any body part made it amazingly hot again, as it came in contact with new hot water molecules. It was amazing! The hardest part was leaving, though, because you have to deal with the heat as you walk to the door. That didn't stop us from doing it several times, though. 

I've been in saunas before, but I think that this was the nicest one I've been in. The wood was so smooth that it felt soft, and it was the perfect temperature. After getting quite cool in the shower, it was just lovely.

Having gotten totally relaxed and happy in the spa, we decided to get massages, which was "definitely the right choice" as J put it afterwards. We each took a turn, and our masseuse was kind and very skilled, and we both felt like curling up for a nap afterwards. 

Lucky for us, we could go back to Jenny's for a relaxing evening of pleasant company. More on that later.

Somehow or other, it came, just the same!

Turns out, Christmas comes and goes even when it happens in the middle of summer. I kept thinking of the poor Grinch at the end of the story, standing there stunned, thinking, "I didn't stop Christmas from coming, it came! Somehow or other, it came, just the same!" Of course, I wasn't trying to stop Christmas from coming, but I also wasn't managing to welcome it with open arms, since I couldn't quite remember that it was real.

But it was real. And quite nice, in fact. Our friend Jonathan and his parents, Marie and Ernest, invited us to their family Christmas, which was great. We chatted and snacked all morning, had a delicious Christmas meal in the early afternoon, and then played games until we headed home in the evening. We also got to try pavlova for the first time ever, and it was fabulous! It's basically a mountain of meringue, which you let get all crispy and good, and then smother with sweet yogurt and berries. Amazing. And all day, it was such a pleasant, happy home, full of wonderful people who enjoyed each others' company, so it was perfect for Christmas. We are so lucky to have great friends here already.

Boxing Day, which is the day after Christmas, is also a national holiday in NZ. It seems a bit like Black Friday in the States, in that there are tons of Boxing Day Sales, but the history is nicer. There are multiple stories, all originating in England, but a lot of them have to do with charity. Rich people used to give a box of goodies to their servants the day after Christmas, and then they'd get the day off to go home to their families. They also put donation boxes in churches for people to give to the poor at Christmas time. In more recent history, it has just become another day to spend with family, rather than going straight back to work.

J and I spend Boxing Day curled up at home watching movies and playing games, which was nice. We are headed up north past Auckland tomorrow morning for a 3-day trip, and so it was nice to have some down time before starting that.

I don't know if I will post anything while we're on the trip, but rest assured that there will be lots of pictures when we get back!!

Christmas Confusion

Even after months of internal and external reminders, even after seeing Christmas decorations around town, even after spending hours Christmas shopping with Kirsten, even seeing the small pile of presents in the corner of our lounge... I can not get it through my head that tomorrow is Christmas Eve. It is sunny, gorgeous, warm beach weather, and I cannot make that fit with Christmas.

Moreover, it seems that Kiwis struggle with that as well, despite their many years of practice. For example, Santa still wears his warm winter clothes (and is very sweaty), the Christmas stockings are decorated with snowflakes, the "holiday" images in a lot of the stores include snowy winter scenes, and some wrapping paper still says, "Let it snow." As if this wasn't confusing enough, it not only doesn't snow at Christmas here, it doesn't snow ever here. They don't need to associate snow with anything, let alone a summer holiday. On the other hand, perhaps since they never have snow, it's not as weird to talk about it at Christmas time, because it's as good a time as any to focus on something that doesn't happen here. I actually heard that the only time it's snowed in Whanganui was during a freak cold snap in summer, and that it was around Christmas time.

While we're on the subject of climate, I should mention that Whanganui has one of the most moderate climates in the world, as measured by the least difference between the coldest ever and hottest ever temperatures. Isn't that interesting? That is what makes it possible for somewhere that never experiences snow to have it happen in one of the warmest months - summer and winter just aren't as different as someone from... say... Kansas would expect. They don't have the extremes, and so their "unseasonable" weather can therefore closely resemble the opposite season. I think that's pretty neat. I know that the weather can change quickly in Kansas, but we could never have a -10F (-23C) day in the middle of summer, or a 105F (40C) in the middle of winter. But here the range is only about 32F (0C) to 82F (28C), and you can switch between those temperatures surprisingly quickly, especially with how incredibly windy it is and how intense the sun is.

Hmmm, that was nothing if not a tangent, but now you know.

As for Christmas, it has not sunk in at all. However, we are going to our friend Jonathan's parents' house for a big, family Christmas, and I know that that is something recognizable. So I'm just waiting for that, and it will feel like Christmas, I'm sure.

In the mean time, I have to show you what Jan and her husband, Brian, gave us for Christmas:

Jan had this painting, and others that Brian has done, (which are all amazing), hanging in her café. I have always loved this one. I love the bright colours - they are much more impressive in person - and the smooth, shiny vases. Anyway, I frequently complimented Jan on it, and she told Brian, and they decided to give it to us for Christmas. How spoiled are we? I hung it up in the lounge, and we are loving it!

Comment Problems?

It has been brought to my attention that some people are having problems commenting using the instructions I posted for commenting as "Anonymous." I don't know what to do about that, as I have no control over posts from other people. When I sign out and try to post as "Anonymous," it works the same way as always, but I know that other people have experienced typing a post, selecting "Anonymous," and then clicking Publish, only to find that their post disappears without being posted. I'm really sorry that this is happening, and I wish I knew how to fix it, but I don't. If you are having this problem, please send me an email (ecelm87@gmail.com) and let me know. If it's happening to lots of people, I will have to find a way to contact Blogger and see what can be done.

Thanks for your understanding and patience.

Surfing!!!!

J and I got to go surfing today!!! Yay! Our friends Anna and Ollie invited us to go up to Opunake with them to surf. Of course, given my rather unsatisfactory week and my love of water sports, I was instantly ready to go. J, on the other hand, worked all week, and has to get up at 4:15 tomorrow morning for work, so he was looking forward to a quiet Saturday at home. Lucky for me, though, he was up for it, and off we went. It ended up being us, Anna and Ollie, and three of their friends from work, all of whom were very nice. It is about an hour and forty minute drive to Opunake, Taranaki. The views from the car were lovely, but I restrained myself from taking tons of pictures.

We got to Opunake and picked up lunch at a cute little café there, then went and rented our wet suits and surf boards from Dream Time surf shop. The people there were very nice and helpful. 

We went down to the beach, which was beautiful, and had a picnic lunch before we started surfing.

J and I almost look like we know what we're doing, hey? Wrong! I have never been surfing before, although I did go body boarding once in the Galapagos. J has been body boarding lots of times in Florida, but never surfing. Anna and Ollie very kindly showed us how to get on the board, and explained how to catch a wave and stand up, and then we just went for it!

This is me riding a wave (if you click on the picture, it gets bigger). I found it challenging to figure out which waves were good ones to try to catch, but J had a pretty good sense of it, as did Anna and Ollie, so I depended on them.

This is me STANDING UP on the surf board!! I was so proud of myself! I did it a bunch of times, although I fell before the end of the wave all but one time. You can see in this picture that I am getting rather off-balance. 

I didn't get any pictures of J surfing (because I didn't get out of the water for hours), but he was SO GOOD! He stood up loads of times, and had such good balance! I didn't know that I was married to a good surfer!

I really loved surfing. I love how fast you go when you catch a good wave, and the challenge of trying to stand up without losing your balance or the getting behind the wave. I also just love being in the water, and the feeling of floating and moving with the waves is wonderful. And it was nice that Anna and Ollie were experienced and skillful and could show us the ropes, and then since J picked it up so fast, he could help me along, too, and then I got comfortable quickly enough to have a lot of fun! What a success!

When we were all tired out from surfing, J and I decided to explore around the bend of the cliffs on the side of the beach, which involved a lot of rock-hopping, which I love. I think the different layers of rock are beautiful as well.

J rock-hopping away.

I love the ocean!!

This was the view a bit further around the bend. We went on quite a nice walk, and then came back to the beach and had some yummy ice cream cones to cool off. J had chocolate banana and I had passion fruit. I think it's so odd that we don't have much passion fruit food in the States - I think it is delicious!

On the way home, we got a wonderful view of Mount Taranaki. I was surprised that it still had snow on the top in summer, but it sure is beautiful. We will have to go and explore it some day.

I have mostly gotten over my disappointment at not getting that one particular job, but have been struggling this week to feel positively about my prospects for getting a job soon, and about my ability to be happy without one. I realize that surfing has nothing to do with that at all, but getting out and just having a really fun, adventurous time with J and some friends did me a lot of good, and I am feeling much more positive, even in my post-surfing exhaustion.

I am looking forward to going surfing again sometime soon! We already have plans for a trip between Christmas and New Year's (more on that later), and then J gets to choose our next day trip, so that will be something new. But sometime this summer, more surfing will be on the schedule! 

Just Keep Swimming

Yesterday afternoon, after quite a nice day of visiting Jan and taking Holly to visit an early learning centre, I sat down to write a blog post about how wonderful my life is, and how lucky I am to be living here. I had biked through town, and was impressed with how beautiful this city is. I had gone to South Beach for the first time with Kirsten, and it was stunning. I had pulled up to my house and stopped to appreciate this gorgeous, if a bit overzealous, bougainvillea in front of our house.

While I was appreciating it, I noticed this beautiful lily growing at the base of it. Lilies always remind my of my friend Kelly, who died years ago, and they are such a positive way to remember her without sadness. This one, as you can see in the picture, is absolutely glowing, and just made me so happy.

I got inside, sat down at my computer, and decided to check my email before I wrote my post. To my dismay, I had an email with very upsetting news. I had had an interview for a full-time position at a private early learning centre last week. I didn't write anything about it on my blog, because I was fighting a losing battle against counting on it as a sure thing, and therefore setting myself up for disappointment. But I was confident that the interview had gone well, and that my skills and qualifications would make me a good candidate. Plus, I hadn't even applied for the job - they had sought me out and asked me to interview! I hadn't been at all sure at first that it was the right position for me, but it had seemed like a better and better idea. I confess that I am so eager to get a job that I might have slightly glossed over the less-than-perfect aspects of it, but so be it. Anyway, as you have probably figured out, the email said that I didn't get the job. They said that they had way more applicants than they expected, that they were all very qualified, and that in the end, they chose a teacher who is "very experienced in the NZ curriculum and context." During the interview, we talked about how NZ is at the forefront of a lot of early childhood education development. They are moving in the same direction that we are moving in the States, but they have done it faster and more successfully. What they do here is actually very consistent with most of what I learned in the States, although it is not always being applied as well there as we'd like. However, there are also things that I learned there that I think could benefit programs here. As is usually true, there are pros and cons to both systems, and I think that the best scenario is to be able to find and use the best of both. Anyway, I think that they may have been disinclined to hire someone who didn't have the benefit of being educated in and working within their system. Which may be logical, but it doesn't make me feel any better. I'm sure that they made the best choice for their centre, but I feel disheartened and worried that I am not a good candidate for jobs here, even though I got a great education from wonderful professors, and even though I am eager to keep learning and adapting to meet children and families' needs. (Just to be clear, all I know is what they said in their email, and they could have a million different reasons for the decision they made, so most of this is just speculation.)

I hadn't realized how much having the potential of a full-time job in the near future had been buoying me up, even just for the week that it was there. It felt like the light at the end of the tunnel of unemployment, and it made it easier not to worry about it when I didn't get called in to teach, or when the job listings continued to be nonexistent. By the way, still no jobs listed, and I have worked a total of zero days this week.

I was feeling terrible yesterday, and didn't feel up to writing about it. J helped to make me feel better, assuring me that I was a good candidate for any job, and that I shouldn't feel bad about not getting the very first one I applied for. He also said that me not getting this job was "unlikely, bordering on the what-were-they-thinking." He may be a bit overconfident on my behalf, but I don't mind, and his comments made me smile. But then he had to go to work (last night on the night shift for a while), and, left to my own devices, I consoled myself by watching Remember the Titans and then going straight to sleep.

Today is better, of course. I am disappointed, but okay. Moreover, I am more capable of remembering the things that made me unsure if I wanted that job in the first place. I just want a job so bad, it's hard to take those things seriously, but they are still important.

I stopped by the Kindergarten Association today to give them some paperwork and let them know that I would continue to be available for relieving, and the Senior Teacher there, who I've talked to a lot, seemed genuinely thrilled that I wouldn't be leaving to work in a private early learning centre. Moreover, she said that she would keep me in mind for any permanent positions that become available, and for any longer-term relieving jobs that come up. It felt good that she seemed to truly want me to be there, and to value my contribution (how ever small it is right now) to their teaching team.

I also stopped by and visited Jan and Karen today, which always makes me feel good, and in a few minutes, J and I are going to go out to eat and then just relax this evening. 

I just have to remind myself that all of those things that I was thinking and feeling yesterday, before I got that email, are still true today. I am still so lucky to be here, still so happy to be able to enjoy so many wonderful things in my life, and still moving towards a good job, someday. It will happen. Just keep swimming.

Un Peu de Noël (A Little Christmas)

The other night, Anna and I had a French/English/Kiwi Christmas afternoon, and it was lovely. We spoke only French, of course, and we made mini mince pies, which are a traditional Christmas food in England and in NZ. I have eaten them before, when I was in England, but I've never had them in the States. I am still getting used to the idea of savoury pies, but they are yummy. Anna had made hot mulled wine, which I had never had until I moved to France, but which I absolutely love. I have to be very careful, because hot alcohol seems to affect me more than cold (which is saying something, because I am a terrible lightweight). Anyway, delicious food and good company feels like Christmas to me. Plus, Anna has a Christmas tree, which we don't, so that felt nice and Christmasy. You'll notice in the picture, though, the sunny balcony and general green-ness outside do not exactly evoke Christmas thoughts. We'll just have to get used to that. You'll also notice Bananagrams under the tree - who knew they'd have that game in NZ? I'm so glad they do, although I did bring my copy from the States, just in case. Anna bought one for a friend for Christmas, but we cheated and played it before she gave it away. Bananagrams is a word game, and we played with words in American English, British English, Kiwi English, French, and a bit of Māori and Spanish. I love multilingualism!

I also had Anna and her boyfriend Ollie over for dinner the next day, and although it was significantly less Christmasy, it was lots of fun. I made taco salad, they brought more mince pies, and we played Bananagrams and Heads Up. How nice.

J has been working a mixture of night shifts and day shifts, include long weekend shifts, so he's been missing out on some of the fun, but he's still doing well at work. We're still getting to spend some good time together, though. It was beautiful outside today, and we took Holly for a nice, long walk. We are a nice, little family, I think.

Kiwi Shorts

Since the weather has warmed up, I have frequently been quite surprised by the shorts people wear. And by people, I mean men. Women/girls here wear very, very short shorts, just like in the States, and while I find this rather crazy, I'm already used to it. What I am not used to, however, is the men wearing short shorts, too. Here, it is totally socially appropriate (as far as I can figure out) for strong, manly men to wear rather tight, cut-off jean shorts, at the mid-thigh or slightly above. They also often wear exercise shorts that are above mid-thigh length. Much as I try to be culturally open and understanding, I have a bit of a hard time not staring and/or laughing when I see it, because it is just so very different from the image that I have of how a man typically dresses. I don't have a problem with it at all, and I think they should wear whatever they want, but I just find it so funny.

The other day at the mall, we saw a tall, muscular man wearing a big, thick, camouflage hunting jacket, and... nothing on the bottom! I did a rather embarrassingly obvious double take, before just barely catching a glimpse of short black shorts underneath. While that made me feel better, I still had to avert my eyes every time we passed him in the aisles of the grocery store, and J could barely contain his amusement.

We talked about it on the way home, and decided that although there are obviously different style customs here than in the States, there also seems to be less concern over what other people think. I realize that this is a terrible generalization, but it really seems like Kiwis are less judgemental of each other, and more likely to do/wear what they want. I think that I've mentioned this before, and I continue to think that it is a really wonderful quality. I love that no one seems to stare when someone is wearing something odd, and people dressed quite uniquely seem confident and at ease. What freedom they give themselves and each other by not feeling the need to seek or give approval.

While I'm on the subject of clothes and judgement, remember my sun hat? Well, after being so excited about it at first, I noticed that most people I saw wearing hats had ones with much smaller brims, and I was a bit concerned, in my American way - or can I blame my own insecurities on my culture? Maybe not. So lets just say that I felt insecure about looking ridiculous in my fabulous but slightly over the top hat. I was very firm with myself and refused to avoid wearing it, and I have been so pleased with the result. Not only is it every bit as good at keeping the sun off my face, neck, and shoulders as I thought it would be, but the kids and teachers love it! I have gotten lots of compliments, and at the first centre I visited when I wore it, the teacher had me stand up at group time and talk about how wide brimmed hats are the best for staying safe in the sun. Needless to say, there was no need for any of my worrying, and I am so thrilled to be enjoying my beautiful, sun-safe hat.

I consider myself a very confident person in general, but sometimes I feel that my ability to do different or crazy things is more because I won't allow myself to give in to my insecurities, rather that due to the lack of them. I don't want to be judged negatively any more than anyone else, and I do tend to worry about it. So I am hoping that living in NZ will help me to take a more Kiwi approach to that sort of thing, and to remember that no one is out there to judge me, and that if they do, it's okay, because I can still just enjoy being me.

Happy Tidbits

Happy Tidbit #1
I loved Zumba. It was so much fun, not too hard to pick up, such great music, and apparently a good workout, because I was sore the next day. The teachers, who are very nice, described it as "exercise disguised as dance," and I think that that was accurate. Anyway, lots of fun, and definitely something I will be doing often. There are classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Happy Tidbit #2
J and I went to lunch yesterday at Wa Japanese, and I noticed a very cool bento box on the menu. J says it has been there since the beginning, which shows how perceptive I am. Anyway, I tried it, and it was very neat to get the cool-shaped box (which was both beautiful and reusable), and the food was delicious!

J says the fried things in the upper left corner are the best things he's ever tasted. :)

Happy Tidbit #3
I am working three days this week! That is more times than I've worked in the three weeks that I'd been on the list. And, all three days are at the same kindergarten, so I'm really getting to know the children. I do want to go to lots of different centres so that I can experience all of them, but it is also so nice to feel more competent in my knowledge and understanding of the children with whom I'm working. I got very positive feedback from a special education worker who saw me interacting with the child she comes to support, and that felt good.

Happy Tidbit #4
Since Holly is not allowed on the furniture, J lays on the floor to take naps with her sometimes. When he did this the other day, Holly cuddled up to him at first (and I was not quick enough to get a picture), but then could not contain her excitement for long enough to actually rest, so she rolled around on the back, making her happy noise. In this picture, she is starting at him totally adoringly (she loves me, but she LOVES J).

Happy Tidbit #5

I am feeling more optimistic about jobs. I spoke with someone at the Kindergarten Association, and she said that jobs come up pretty frequently, and that I shouldn't be discouraged. I also spoke with a teacher at an early learning centre, who said that they're opening a new classroom in February, and they might be hiring. So... I'm staying positive.

Happy Tidbit #6

Playing ball with Holly is so much fun! She is so intent on it, and she catches the ball about 75% of the time, which I find very impressive. J took a video the other day so I could show everyone. She missed the first one, but got the others, so that's good. After J went inside, she caught about 10 in a row, so maybe it made her nervous to have both of us out there. Anyway, she is such a great dog, and we have so much fun with her.

Happy Tidbit #7

When I left kindergarten on Tuesday, I told the kids that I might come back another day, but I wasn't sure. When I got to kindergarten today (Thursday), a little girl saw me come in and said, "Yay! She DID come back!" She ran over and hugged me with a huge grin on her face. There is no better way to start your day.

Kiwi Christmas Trees

I know that it's a bit early to start talking about Christmas-y things, but my friends have told me about pōhutukawa, and then yesterday, I drove by a whole bunch of them planted next to the road. So I decided that it was time.

Pōhutukawa are trees, native to NZ, that bloom right around Christmas time, and their bright red flowers are Christmas-y, so they have become Kiwi Christmas trees. People don't put them in their houses, because they still use pine trees for that, and decorate them just like we do in the States. They even use tinsel, which I think is funny, because I always think of tinsel as simulating snow, and it is definitely not snowy weather here at Christmas time.

Anyway, I took some pictures of the pōhutukawa in Whanganui, and I think that they're quite beautiful.

This is a close-up of one of the blooms. They look like fireworks to me! They are a lot like a flower that I saw a month or so ago, that grows on the ground on a plant that looks kind of like lamb's quarter.

The bees seem to adore the pōhutukawa, which makes sense, because it looks like there's a ton of places for nectar, and the tree clearly wants to attract them. The tip of each spike, where it's yellow, is a ball of pollen, so thick that I got turned yellow when I brushed against one.

In other news... 

I was called in to teach this morning, and had a wonderful time working all day. I went back to the kindergarten where I relieved the first time, and I was happy to find that I remembered some of the children's names, and retained them much better the second time. I brought in one of my favourite books to read with the children, and also got to teach them a fun song. It was a good day, and now I'm exhausted. I'm resting up a bit, because I need to get my energy back up in time for Zumba with Kirsten this evening! I've never done it before, but I am so excited to try!

Faux Thanksgiving

Yesterday, we had our friends Harry and Jonathan over for a Faux Thanksgiving dinner. In addition to being belated, it felt "faux" for a variety of reasons, which I will explain. However, it was a truly enjoyable evening, and made me feel wonderful, so that part was completely real.

First, it should be noted that Kiwis know that American Thanksgiving exists, and that it's in November, and not a whole lot else. What they do know is mostly from American movies. Apparently, Jonathan and Harry had a debate on the way over about whether or not Americans go around the table and say something they're thankful for before they eat. I guess they both won this time, because I said that we do and J said that we don't. :)

The first, most obviously different thing was the lack of Grandma Verschelden's house, full of family. Not really replicable here, but we knew that. However, Harry and Jonathan are wonderful friends, and J and I did our best playing host and hostess, and it was good. We taught them to play 500 (the card game), which is actually a Denner family game, and I have therefore never played it at Thanksgiving, but it is J's favourite card game, so it's all good. They picked it up quite well, and we played for hours. So a bit of a mish-mash, but lovely.

Speaking of mish-mashes, the food at our Thanksgiving dinner was... shall we say... unique?

We were unable to find any of the necessary ingredients for pumpkin pie! Well, we could have made home-made pie crust, I suppose, but there was no pumpkin pie filling, nor could we even find an actual pumpkin from which to make any (not that I know how)! They have things here that they call pumpkins, but they are whitish grey inside and out, and what kind of pumpkin pie would that be? Anyway, no pumpkin pie, so we got some apple boysenberry pie, which was pretty good, but nothing like the amazing deliciousness of the pies at the Verschelden Thanksgiving. While I'm on the subject of pies, I should mention that pies here are savoury - mince pies, steak and cheese pies, lamb pies, etc. If you mean our kind of pies, you have to say "sweet pie." Anyway, Harry and Jonathan were happy to try a sweet pie, and we talked to the baker at New World grocery store about making a pumpkin pie some time, so we'll have to check back on that and see what we can get. People here have NEVER even TRIED a pumpkin pie!!!!! Amazing, right?

We were also unable to find cantaloupe, which J insists is a Thanksgiving tradition, although I've never thought of it that way. By the way, Harry and Jonathan didn't know what "cantaloupe" was, until I remember that in British English, it is called a "rock melon." They said that some grocery stores here have them, but they're not that popular. We got pineapple instead, which isn't Thanksgiving-y at all, but it was yummy.

Canned cranberry sauce does not seem to be an item here, although we did find cranberry jelly that was very similar. Apparently, they have that for Christmas here.

We did find sweet potatoes, which was a good thing, because they are one of my favourite things about Thanksgiving! Here, they are called kūmara, and they are much smaller than what I am used to, (although that might be because I'm used to my dad's incredibly huge ones), but still delicious. J made them with brown sugar and marshmallows, but not too terribly sweet, and they were perfect. Jonathan and Harry had never had them cooked like that (or even heard of it), and they loved them.

We had chicken instead of turkey, but that was our choice. Maybe next year we'll tackle a turkey. :)

One of the best parts of the night was when Jonathan and Harry got here, Jonathan said, "We brought a couple things for both of you, but this first one is mostly just for Emma..." and he pulled out two cans of Dr. Pepper!!!! I know that this requires a bit of explanation, so here goes. Dr. Pepper is the only pop that I will drink, but I really love it, and always consider it a huge treat when I get some, even though in the States, it was not all that uncommon for me to have one. Here, Dr. Pepper is largely unheard of. It is not in any restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores... nowhere. There are two little shops in town where you can buy it, but I don't make it there very often. So I have been lamenting my lack of Dr. Pepper, and Jonathan remembered me telling him that weeks ago, and brought some over! How wonderful is that?!? And it was particularly perfect, because one of the places that I'm guaranteed to get my fill of Dr. Pepper is at Grandma's house for Thanksgiving. The Verscheldens must like it, because it was always there as I was growing up. And now, my very kind Aunt Pat always makes sure to bring some, because she knows how much I like it. So it was particularly heartwarming for Jonathan to bring me some. :)

We played cards until late at night, talking about all kinds of things, and doing a lot of explaining about how Thanksgiving came to be, and what traditions we have around it. I'm so glad that we did that!

Job Disappointments

Yesterday, I slept in until 10:00, and when I got up and looked at my phone, it said that I had a voice mail from 8:30. I found this confusing, since my phone always wakes me up when it rings or makes the "new voice mail" noise, and it had done neither of those. In fact, it didn't even register a missed call. The voice mail was the Kindergarten Association wanting me to come in and teach! Needless to say, it was too late, so I missed out on that opportunity. Seeing as I am only getting called in once a week at most, missing that day of work was deeply disappointing. I did a lot of productive things yesterday, but I just had this hanging gloom that I couldn't dispel, reminding me that I should have been in kindergarten. Yuck.

In addition, a teacher at the kindergarten I visited yesterday told me about a website where they post all the available teaching jobs, so I thought I'd look at it. I am still committed to taking time to relieve and get to know schools before applying for anything permanent, but I thought it would make me feel better to know how many opportunities are waiting for me to take them. Well, that plan backfired. Do you know how many early childhood education jobs are currently posted for Whanganui? None. Zero. When I combine that knowledge with the surplus of relievers that I keep hearing about, I find myself feeling a bit down-hearted about the permanent job opportunities coming my way. Double yuck.

As usual, I comforted myself by cuddling with Holly, and this time I got a picture of her. Check it out.

Is that not the most loveable face? She scoots in between my legs, nuzzles her face into my tummy, then rolls on her back and looks up at me (or in this case, the camera, since she finds it fascinating) with those big, gorgeous eyes. Melts my heart. We are so lucky to have her.

When J got home from work, we talked about it, and his complete confidence in my ability to find a job was very comforting as well. He is sure that something will come up in the near future, and that relieving jobs will become more frequent in the meantime. Given that I am usually the more positive one in the relationship, it was particularly nice for him to be so confident and optimistic. And I have been told that they usually need more relievers in January and February, so I'm holding out hope that that's true. Anyway, J and Holly both made me feel better, and it will all be okay.

I took Holly out to the beach again today, which was lovely. It is still a new concept to me that we actually live in a place where you can just head to the beach for the afternoon if you want. How cool is that? Maybe I'll become a permanent beach resident instead of a preschool teacher. :)

Keeping Busy

I have been continuing my efforts to keep busy and put energy into things that I find interesting or meaningful, so that I can feel productive. I am not sure why I have such a drive to always be accomplishing something, but I do, and so I work with that.

So far this week, I have visited six kindergartens, so that if/when I get called in to teach at them, I will be at least a bit of a familiar face, and have a sense of what to expect. I have two more to visit, and will go to them tomorrow. I have enjoyed my time at each one, and have been amazed at how kindly and warmly they have welcomed me. The teachers are happy to take time to talk with me, and seem genuine in saying that they hope to see me soon. I am hoping and praying that I will get more opportunities to relieve soon.

I have also done some Christmas shopping, which is a mixed bag for me. I love finding things that I think will make people happy, but I also struggle with my desire not to consume more and more things, and with the little voice in my head that is always saying, "But they don't need it!" I do know that Christmas presents are not about getting people something they need, but that voice has trouble being heard above the others. Sometimes it is very difficult to be inside my head.

While I was walking around shopping today, I finally, (after passing it many times before), stopped and got a crêpe at the adorable little stand downtown.

I found it to be a wonderful multi-cultural experience that was oddly parallel to my own history. I, an American who used to live in France and Canada and now lives in NZ, went and got a French Crêpe from a NZ man. The crêpe had lemon and sugar on it, which is a combination that I have only seen in Canada (on Beavertail pastries). Anyway, it was multiculturally delicious, and I enjoyed munching on it as I browsed for Christmas gifts. :)

I am also working on the new pile of paperwork we are facing - this time to get resident visas of NZ. We weren't planning on doing it right away, but we found out that most of our paperwork and certifications that we had for our work visas (and for which we jumped through ever-so-many hoops), will expire in the next few months, and then we would have to do it all again when we applied for resident visas. No thanks. So we are doing that now, and I am remembering all the reasons that I hate paperwork. Oh well. On the bright side, I am getting better and better at it.

On another, wonderfully bright side, Holly is the best cuddler ever. She loves to snuggle up next to me in the living room (on the floor, of course - no dogs on the furniture), and she makes a happy, grumbling noise in her throat when she is particularly happy that I find utterly delightful. I am so happy, with all the time that I'm spending at home, that she is here with me, especially with J working into the evenings these days.

By the way, J continues to do well at work, and feels that he is settling in and getting comfortable with his role and responsibilities. He comes home from work tired, but not stressed or frustrated, and usually satisfied with his work that day, which is as it should be.

Playing at the Beach

Kirsten texted me first thing this morning, saying that it was perfect beach weather, and that if I didn't have to work, she, Holly, and I had to go to the beach. Well, I didn't get called in today, so off we went!

Kai-Iwi Beach is about 20 minutes out of town, and it is a beautiful black sand beach, with gorgeous aquamarine water (a little way out), rolling waves, and fine sand. 

When we pulled up, this was the first view I got of the beach. Wow!

We walked down from the parking lot, and saw the clear distinction between where the dirt/sand gets picked up by the waves and mixed in with the water, and where it is settled.

Holly was overjoyed to be out at the beach, and ran right into the water, then seemed quite surprised that she was all wet! As you can see, the water-saturated sand is very reflective, which made the beach all the more interesting.

Holly wanted to catch the foam on the edge of each wave, and would run right up to it and chomp down on it. This picture is right after she plunged into one. Kirsten and I were laughing so hard we almost cried, watching her bound around trying to catch them. I think the salt water upset her stomach afterwards, but she is feeling good now.

These are the cliffs right next to the beach.

What a beautiful dog! She was a joy to be with at the beach.

This is on our walk back towards the car. I couldn't believe how much the blue sky reflected off the beach and changed the colour. Very cool.

It was such a lovely afternoon, and we will definitely be going back, and hopefully swim next time. The air was plenty warm enough for swimming, but the water was very cold. Kirsten said that it will warm up soon, and be perfect for swimming.

Thanksgiving Reflections

Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday. I am not into buying things, and so many holidays revolve around that now. I am, however, into eating, so that works well. More than that, though, I love spending time with family, and I have wonderful memories of Thanksgiving throughout my life. With four days off work/school, my whole family spends the time at Grandma Verschelden's house, playing games (from Trivial Pursuit to Pitch to football), eating, laughing, telling stories, doing puzzles, etc. I look forward to this time every year, and it always feels warm, comfortable, happy, and loving. I have missed a few Thanksgivings over the years, but not many.

This Thanksgiving (or the day after, here, since that is when it lined up with "real" Thanksgiving in Kansas), I had plans to Skype with the Verschelden family in St. Mary's in the morning, but I got called in to teach at a new Kindergarten. I was very thankful for the opportunity, and I had a fantastic time. I was much more successful at learning the children's names this time, and felt that the day went well. I also met (and made a good impression on, I think), the reliever coordinator, which is good. I was very thankful for children's inclination to love, and for my training that helps me to respond appropriately to them. One of the first things that happened when I got there was that two children got in a fight over positions on a barrel swing, and I had to remove one of them from the area for trying to kick the other in the face. As I pried her off the swing and gently carried her to the couch to calm down, I reminded myself that being calm and supportive, but firm, was the best thing to do. But even as I acted on this knowledge, I had to fight down the frustration at feeling that it was sad that this was my introduction to these children - no time for positive relationship building before becoming the disciplinarian. To my delight, however, the child calmed down, ran over to me and said, "I'm happy now, will you read me a book?" She and I got along great the rest of the day - she both sought me out as a playmate and listened well when I asked her to do things. Before I left, she made me promise to come and visit again soon. I was both honoured by her affection and grateful for my education that helps me to be both a consistent disciplinarian and an affection, playful companion.

Anyway, when the day was over, I rushed home to my rescheduled Skype time, and was so thankful to see person after person cycle through Grandma's little computer room to talk with me. I wished J could have been there to see them, too, but he was at work. It was lovely to talk with everyone, and I am so thankful for Skype allowing me to do so. After hours of talking to everyone, they all moved on to other things, and Abe and I were left to talk. That was really lovely, too, because I don't often get to talk to him, and we had a nice conversation.

While we talked, I frequently heard bursts of loud laughter, shrieks of surprise, or excited exclamations coming from elsewhere in Grandma's house. At the time, absorbed as I was in talking with Abe, I didn't think much of it. But after we had hung up, I realized how badly I wanted to be there, laughing, shrieking, and exclaiming, surrounded by my family. It is a unique and irreplaceable feeling, and I wanted it so much. In spite of myself, I started lamenting how far away NZ is from them, and how difficult moving here has made it to have those kinds of experiences. I distracted myself with other things, and by the time J got home from work, I thought I was better. But when his first question was, "How's the family?" my flood of tears indicated otherwise. (On a side note, I believe that J is beginning to look at coming home to me as an unpredictable grab-bag of an experience. Oops.)

I talked with J about everything, and felt mostly better by bedtime, but I couldn't bring myself to be 100% sure that living in NZ was a really fair exchange for missing Thanksgiving at Grandma's. Given that we do live in NZ, and it's better to see that as a positive, it was not a great feeling.

Then, last night, I had a dream. I dreamed that we had to leave NZ (for some unexplained dream reason), and I was distraught. I was surrounded by my friends and family, who were all being very kind and trying to make me feel better, but I was unconsolable. I cried and wailed and struggled throughout the whole dream, desperate but unable to make it so that we didn't have to leave. When I finally woke up, I was deeply relieved to find that we didn't really have to leave. I don't usually buy in to dream interpretation very much, but this one seemed like a very kind effort on the part of my psyche to make me feel better. It didn't make me forget what I've sacrificed by moving here, but it did help me to remember that it is what I wanted, and that I am happy here.

In conclusion, I am thankful for my life here, and thankful that I have so many wonderful people throughout the world who care for me and make me happy. I am thankful that I have the ability to move across the world on an adventure, and thankful that no matter what, I have a wonderful home in Kansas to return to, Skype with, or draw strength from when I need it. I am also thankful to be able to come to terms (at least for now), with the fact that moving internationally is not easy, but it is worth it.

Māori Legends

This is a picture of a Māori carving/weaving that was in a museum in Wellington. I was lucky enough to get to hear a tour guide explain it to a bunch of children. It was neat to see how much the children already knew about the legends, because almost all of them weren't Māori, and I think it's amazing that the school system is working to keep the Māori culture alive and well.

(If you want to make the picture bigger to see the parts I reference, you should be able to click on it to blow it up).

In the upper left corner is a carving of Maui, a very mischievous Māori demigod. According to the legend, one day, his brothers decided to go fishing, and Maui wanted to come, but they wouldn't let him, because he played too many tricks. So before they left, he hid in the boat, and waited until they got out to sea before jumping out and surprising them. But they just laughed at him, saying, "How are you going to fish without any bait?" Maui was so determined to fish that he punched himself in the nose and wiped the blood on the hook for bait. His hook, which you can see between his legs in the carving, was made out of the enchanted jawbone of his ancestor. Maui cast his hook, and soon he caught a huge fish. He struggled and struggled to pull it up, and when he did, he saw that it was a gigantic stingray. That stingray became the North Island, with Auckland up on the tail, and Wellington at the head. That is why the North Island is also called Te Ika A Maui (The Fish of Maui). Their waka (boat) became the South Island, and their anchor became Stewart Island, down at the south end. I have included a picture to demonstrate how it fits.

In the lower left of the carving, you can see two taniwha (sea monsters). They were brothers, who lived in a huge lake next to Wellington. One brother, Whātaitai, was calm and content, but the other, Ngake, had lots of energy and wanted adventure. He could hear the waves crashing in the ocean over the boundary of their lake, and wanted to escape. Every day, he would swim faster and faster around the lake, even getting up enough speed to jump over Matiu Island, in the middle of the lake. One day, he went so fast that he crashed into the edge and knocked it down, turning the lake into a harbour and escaping out to sea. His brother, Whātaitai, decided to follow him, but the tide had gone out, and he got stuck. He was trapped for a long time, but then an earthquake pushed up the ground he was on, and when he got pushed up out of the water, he dried out and died. His body became part of the of land that extends out into the harbour, and it is still called Hataitai after him.

In the upper right corner of the carving, you see Kupe, who was the first person ever to come to NZ. He was a fisherman in Hawaiki, and had always provided for his family by fishing. But one day, his nets came up with the bait stolen, but no fish. When this happened multiple times, he realized that it must be an wheke (octopus) that was doing it. He put a spell on the wheke that made it stay near the surface of the water, rather than hiding in the depths, and decided to chase it until he could catch and kill it. He took his family on his waka, and they chased the wheke for a long time. You can see the wheke between Kupe's legs in the carving. Also, at the top of the woven part, the big, black and white triangles at the top signify the big wings of the albatros, which is what Kupe followed when he couldn't see the wheke. On the middle one, you can also see the Southern Cross constellation, which is what he followed at night. Eventually, they arrived in Wellington. Kupe left his granddaughters there to get things ready for everyone to live there, while he continued to chase the wheke. It took a long time, but he finally caught and killed it.

In the lower right corner, you can see Kupe's granddaughters (or daughters, or nieces, depending on the version), Matiu and Mākaro. They worked hard to get things ready in Wellington for Kupe, but he was gone for so long, they thought that he must have died. They loved him very much, so they had a big ceremony for him, mourned him deeply, and even cut their bodies with sharp shells to show their grief. That is why part of Wellington is called Pariwhero, because it means "red rocks," for the rocks coloured by their blood. When Kupe finally made it back, he was so honoured by the tribute his granddaughters had paid him that he named the islands in Wellington harbour after them. They are shown in the middle of the woven part, biggest to smallest (although they are the same size in the weaving) - Matiu, Mākaro, and Mokopuna (Grandchild) Islands.

I think these legends are fascinating, and was so happy to hear them engagingly and beautifully told by a tour guide who clearly cared about them, and by children who were interested and eager to learn. I hope you enjoyed them as well. :)

The Past Few Days

I am sorry that I haven't posted in so long. I have been quite busy, and very caught up in what I was doing. I confess that I got all the way through Friday, and almost all the way through Saturday, without even realizing that I was supposed to write a blog post. Although I realize that that is somewhat irresponsible, it is also nice to be happily involved in my life here to that extent.

On Thursday, I was awakened at 7:00am from a dead sleep by the phone ringing. It was the builder who was supposed to come next week to fix our windows and doors. He said, "Change of plans, can I come and work today?" I said yes, thrilled that he would finally get this work done, since we've been waiting since we moved in. His response, however, was, "Good, I'll be there in 10 minutes." Yikes! I catapulted out of bed, and managed to get dressed, wash my face, and clean up the house by the time they got here. Two men were at the house all day, working on three windows, both doors, and the shed. Amazingly, they got everything done, and now everything works properly, which is so lovely! I spent almost the whole day feeling unsure of what I was supposed to do while they were there, because they kept having questions for me, so I felt that I needed to be accessible, but I didn't want to hover. I decided that just reading in the living room would be okay, so that's what I did all day. Since I was in the middle of a very interesting book (Hagar's Daughter), I was happy to do so, although I would have preferred to do it without loud hammering, drilling, and power sanding going on all around me.

On Friday, I spent the morning volunteering at an early learning centre, and had a really wonderful time. I didn't get to spend much time with the children, because the director wanted to spend some time showing me around and telling me about the centre. I would have thought that this was not as good, but I was wrong. As it turns out, she and I have a lot in common - she took over this centre when it was not being run very well, much as I took over my centre in Canada. She is having many of the same struggles that I had, and we had a long, wonderful conversation about dreams of improvement and the importance of best practice. It felt amazing to discuss theory, design, curriculum, and teacher training with someone who is as passionate about it as I am, and I feel that we really connected. I will definitely be going back there in the near future.

After that, I went and bought a bunch of gardening supplies at Mitre 10. By the way, Mitre 10 is the NZ equivalent of Lowes or Home Depot.

This is the Whanganui Mitre 10. As you can tell, it is quite big - in fact, much bigger than it looks here. They even have a little restaurant inside, next to the greenhouse.

Their motto is "Easy As." J and I saw commercials for it on TV at the hotel, and they said "Easy as" at the end, and both of us came to the conclusion that someone had messed up the commercial, and cut off the end, during which they must have explained "easy as" what! Then we started hearing people say, "Sweet as!" This was a bit disconcerting for me, because it sounds like "Sweet ass!" and was being said by preschool teachers to children! As it turns out, Kiwis say lots of things that end in "as," with the implication that it means "... as can be" or "... as heck" or "... as all get out" as we Kansans might say. Anyway, you can say, "Easy as," "sweet as," "hot as," "stupid as," etc. Well, Kiwis can. I haven't been able to integrate that into my rather rigid sense of grammatical correctness yet, but maybe I'll come around.

Anyway, I bought some plants, a spade, weed mat, etc., at Mitre 10, then came home and worked in our back yard for hours. We have nice soil, but it has been neglected, so it is packed down, hard, weedy, and full of broken glass, nails, trash, etc. I worked all afternoon, and successfully dug up, cleaned up, and planted one section, with a weed mat underneath. Unfortunately, I realized the next day that I'd put the weed mat way too deep, so I had to dig it all up and start again. But now it is done properly, with several pretty little plants, and it looks very nice.

Speaking of working outside, I am getting a kick out of talking with people about the temperature. It has been 25-27C (77-80F) all week, and people are stunned and slightly appalled that J and I work outside in this heat! Everyone seems to be complaining about how hot it is, and saying that they just get exhausted being outside at all, because it's so hot! I hate to be prejudiced, but I just can't understand it. On a day like today in a Kansas summer, everyone would shift around their schedules to be able to do all of their outside things while it's nice and cool, but here they all want to stay inside under the fan! It is so funny to me how much everything is relative. I wonder if J and I will feel like 27C (80F) is hot by next summer, when we've acclimated?

After working outside, I cleaned up and started on my other new project - recording audio books. There is a website (librivox.com) that organizes volunteers to read books out loud and record them, and then they make the available as audio books online for people to download and listen to for free. Of course, this is only books that were written 100+ years ago, and are therefore in the public domain, but it is still really cool. I love reading out loud, and I think it is a wonderful service to provide. I have been interested in doing it for a while, and I decided to just go ahead and do it now. So I spent then entire evening recording and editing, and I got two chapters done, which felt amazing. They were my first ones ever, and when I uploaded them, the coordinator for the book said that they were wonderful, and I did a great job! So that felt good.

On Saturday, I went out to Jan's house for the first time. Jan is my friend who owns the café, and I have still been visiting her and drinking chai at her café every week, but I hadn't been to her house. She lives out in the country, and I brought Holly out to meet her dog, Buddy. He is a very nice dog, too, and they got along great. Jan also has some pretty sheep, and Holly could barely contain her enthusiasm for them. She wanted to get into their paddock so badly, and she was smart enough to find the gate and figure out how to pull it open! Fortunately, it was bolted, so she couldn't pull it enough to fit through, but it was a close call. What a smarty!

I had a wonderful time with Jan and her husband, sitting outside drinking juice, watching the dogs play and chatting. It was the picture of a beautiful country home, with perfectly lovely people in it, and I felt calm and content.

After my visit with Jan, I went and fixed my work in the garden from the day before (as I mentioned), and then cleaned up and headed over to my friend Anna's house for une soirée française. I met Anna at a barbecue we went to at J's colleague's house, and we discovered that we'd both lived in France and were interested in speaking it to keep up our skills. She invited me over to spend the evening with her, as long as I promised not to speak English. That was exactly what I wanted, so it was perfect. She cooked a French meal, and I brought a French dessert, and we chatted away in French, and then watched a French movie. We have a very similar level of fluency - no problems with grammar or comfort, but with the occasional laps in vocabulary, necessitating an online dictionary from time to time. :) We had a lot of fun, and I know that it did me worlds of good to start thinking in French again, even just for a few hours. I am so happy to have found Anna, and we will definitely be having regular French nights, and inviting more people who speak French, as we find them.

Wow, that was a lot of updating! How nice to have so many positive things to write about! I have decided to aim for a post about every other day, but not to hold myself rigidly to that schedule, because I don't want to start stressing about posting when I am busy with other things. It will also, hopefully, keep my posts more interesting, which is better for everyone, I think. :)